The National tribune., 1887-05-05
OLD TIMES.
A Veterans Varied Experiences Ex-
tending Over a Half Century of Life.

Col. w. w. Jackson came into The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE Office last week with a hale and
handsome gentleman, of apparently about 45
years of age, whom he introduced as Col. LOrin
G. Jeffers, of Kansas City, Mo. The gentle
man was vigorous looking, bright-eyed, alert,
with full head of iron-gray hair, aud appa--
emily in the full possession of every faculty
You were in the army?" said THE Ma
TIoSAL TRIBUNE to him by way of opening
| the conversation.
YES" he answered. with smile; "but /
began my career before the rebellion. How
old do you think am?"
The NATIONAL TRIBUNE guessed 45
| am 60," answered the visitor, with the
air of rather rejoicing that he was not one of
| the Spring chickens who only date back to the
rebellion. After little chat he yielded to our
solicitations concerning his past and grew rem
iniscential:
In 1872" he said, at was a member of
jerry Clements's regiment in the service of the
State of Texas"
Were they Texans 2" asked THE NATIONAL
| TRIBUNE
No; they were made up of volunteers from
various States of the South. The company to
| which / belonged was from Missouri. There
was company from Kentucky, one from Mis-
slssippi, one or two from Louisiana, and Col.
| Clements himself had brought one from Ala
bam3 lt seemed as though peace was as
sured, and we were disbanded and / de-
clded to settle down in Texas; but q short
time afterward q Mexican General came
! over to San Antonio with about 200 men. He
broke up the courts there and carried off the
Judge and the lawyers. We did not care so
much about the loss of the lawyers, but we did
not want the courts broken up so there was a
force hastily organized TO pursue him. Two
hundred and fifty men were enrolled, and we
elected Colonel, but we were really under
the command of the noted Jack HAYES
| No tha
Salada Creek and gave them battle. We were
armed with our deer rifles, while they had
muskets and several pieces of artillery. After
| light OF several hours we drove them off. with
loss of more men than we had in our COM
mand. This brought peace until the annex
alton of Texas provoked hostilities between the
| United States and Mexico. / then entered the
LIST Mo-, which was enlisted for six months, and
went again to Texas. We got there after the
battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma,
| but we did not get into any fighting The ont
break OF the rebellion found me at Plattsmouth
| Ncb., where / organized the Ist Neb, of which
| Gen. Thayer, the present Governor of Nebraska,
was made Colonel. / subsequently helped or
| ganize two other regiments, in one of which
accepted a commission, but finding it was or
dered to duty on the plains. resigned, and
| going to Chicago entered the Elgin Battery as a
| private. L was elected Second Lieutenant of
the battery after it had entered the field, and
| became Senior First Lieutenant in 1864, when
my health broke down and i was compelled to
resign, but did much efficient service for the
| Union cause in other capacities until the con-
clusion ofthe war"
"Col. Jefferss interesting experiences are not
confined to the war;" said Col. Jackson. :" He
was with Fremont in one of his exploring ex-
petitions before the war, and passed through
the territory of several hostile tribes at great
risk"
YES" said Col. Jerers, "I was with party
commanded by Col Albert which made the
survey of the South Canadian Fork to the South
Pass, which is now used as railroad route.
When we started out ON that expedition the
old plainsmen bade us gOod-by with tears in
their eyes, and told us that we were going right
into the jaws of danger and not one of us would
ever escape alive, but we got oat without a
single loss by series of extraordinary hap
penings, of which / will tell you some time
when have more leisure
:" will tell you now" said he, "of the very
peculiar experience that had prior TO the war.
In 1919 / had the gold fever as pretty nearly
every other young man in the country did at
that time. / was then in New Orleans and
was one of the party of whom Capt Jones was
the head, who fitted out the schooner Florinda
to sail from New Orleans through the Straits
of Magellan to California There were II of
US all told. About the last of June we had
substantially completed the fitting out of the
schooner. put my wife aboard of the steam
boat Illinois, in charge Of the Captain, to go to
her home in st. Louis, where she was to remain
until she heard from me. As we expected to
leave before the mail could reach us after her
arrival, l instructed her to telegraph me if she
reached the city safely; but about the time
that she should have arrived at St. Louis a ter
rible Summer storm dOwned all the wires be-
tween that city and New Orleans. Instead of
the dispatch that expected there came others
by the way of Washington TO the effect that a
frightful attack of the cholera had broken ont
III st. Louis; that the city was panic-stricken;
people were leaving their houses open and flee
ing to the country for safety; that there were
hundreds dying daily. You can imagine my
intense anxiety. felt that it would be simply
torment for me to sail without being assured of
my wife's safety. The schooner dropped down
to the Balize, but staid in the city and waited.
Finally, on the morning of the 4th of July,
Capt. Jones met me in the restaurant where
was taking breakfast.
At last we will have some news he said.
The Illinois has returned from st. Louis, and
have no doubt there is a letter for YOU
We Immediately went down to the post
office and inquired for letter addressed to me.
The clerk looked over the Us, but found none.
Capt. Jones and / then went down to the
steamboat, where we met the Captain, who
knew US, and said: Mr.. Jeffers there is q let
ter for you in our mail. 1 put it in the bag
myself
I'VE Immediately FASTENED back to the post
Office, which was closed on account of the cell
ebration of the day, but we succeeded in find
ing the Postmaster and the clerk, and with
them went to the Office again. The clerk again
looked over the Us, but found nothing for me.
To convince me, he spread all the Us out on the
table, that We could see the superscristions. and
saw that he was right After this told Jones
that could not possibly go to sea in the state
OF mind that was in, and could not ask them
to delay for me any longer, so would sell my
interest in the schooner, which Capt. Jones i'm |
mediately bought and paid me what had ex-
pended upon it, and babe me good-by / found
employment in New Orleans. A week or two |
afterward one of my friends was looking over
the list Of advertised letters in the paper, when
he found one addressed to l.. Gefrers. / went to |
the postotlice got it, and found that it was from
my brother-in-law, who had written TO me to
announce the safe arrival of my wife, and ask |
ing me If it was possible to take him along with
me on the schOoner-if there was any place !
he could be slowed in; that he was terribly |
anxious to 60. The queerest thing was that |
he had spelled my name with c. He and |
had been intimate for number of years. even |
beyond the intercourse of brothers-in- law, for |
he and l were at that time members of the |
Native American Rangers, the crack military |
company of st. Louis, of which he was Orderly |
Sergeant, and he had written my name thou |
sands of times probably, and never before had |
he spelled it with a G.. Subsequent events will |
show you that this error seemed to have some |
i1anf nj r